Chapter 6 - The Federal Interrogation
Prosecutor Marcus Vance did not look like a man who feared the mafia. He strode into the grand study with the arrogant, self-righteous swagger of a federal official who believed he held all the cards. In his late forties, with slicked-back dark hair and an expensive gray Brioni suit, he carried a leather briefcase like a weapon.
Then he stopped dead in his tracks.
His eyes swept over the room, noting the expensive art, the roaring fireplace, and finally landing on me standing beside Dante Moretti.
"Dante," Marcus said smoothly, though a flicker of genuine confusion crossed his face. "I expected to find you recovering in a hospital bed after your vehicle went off Route 9 last night. Instead, you're hosting... guests."
"Miracles happen, Marcus," Dante replied lazily, returning to his chair and pouring another glass of scotch. He didn't offer the prosecutor a seat. "Some people have very dedicated guardian angels who pull them out of burning sedans."
Marcus’s jaw tightened. He walked closer to the desk, slamming his briefcase down onto the mahogany surface. "Let’s skip the games, Dante. Your junior partner, Julian Vance, is missing. His phone pinged off your private cell tower at midnight, and his financial accounts show a million-dollar transfer to an offshore shell company linked to your wife."
"My wife is currently unavailable," Dante interrupted smoothly. "She’s... re-evaluating her life choices downstairs."
Marcus narrowed his eyes, sensing the dark undercurrent in the room. He turned his attention sharply toward me. "And who is this? Another innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of your criminal empire?"
"This is Cara Fields," Dante said, his voice dropping into a razor-sharp register. "She’s the woman who saved my life last night. She’s also the witness who heard Julian and Vanessa conspiring to murder me."
Marcus went completely pale. The arrogant prosecutor mask cracked instantly, revealing a frantic, sweating man beneath the expensive suit.
"She... she's lying," Marcus stammered, his voice rising an octave. "Julian wouldn't—this is a setup! You're fabricating testimony to cover up your own—"
"To cover up what, Marcus?" Dante leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, his gray eyes pinning the prosecutor to the floor. "I haven't said a single word about a conspiracy to the police yet. I haven't filed any charges. So why are you sweating through your custom Italian suit, Marcus? Why are you defending a junior partner who apparently tried to kill me?"
Marcus swallowed hard, his throat dry, his eyes darting frantically toward the heavy oak doors as if calculating his chances of sprinting out of the mansion alive.
Because Marcus Vance wasn't just Julian’s supervisor. He was Julian’s older brother—and the primary mastermind behind the entire financial takeover of the Moretti syndicate.
I watched the pieces click together in my mind with sudden, blinding clarity. Julian wasn't smart enough to orchestrate a multi-million-dollar corporate coup. Marcus had engineered the whole thing from inside the Department of Justice, using federal pressure to weaken Dante’s empire while Vanessa and Julian provided the internal leverage.
"You're trapped, Marcus," I spoke up for the first time, my voice ringing clearly across the silent study.
Marcus snapped his head toward me, his face twisted in venomous hatred. "Shut up, you stupid waitress—you don't know a damn thing about—"
"She knows enough," Dante interrupted, standing up slowly. He motioned with his hand toward the door. Viktor and two armed guards stepped into the room, blocking Marcus’s exit.
"What is this?" Marcus shouted, panic taking full control of his voice. "You can't touch me! I’m a federal prosecutor! If I don't check in with my office by midnight, an entire federal task force will kick down your front gates!"
"Let them try," Dante said coldly, walking around the desk until he was towering over the prosecutor. "By the time federal marshals get a warrant signed, you, your brother, and my faithless wife will be three different shipping containers halfway across the Atlantic."
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Viktor stepped forward, grabbing Marcus by the shoulders and ripping the briefcase out of his grip.
"Take him down to the vault," Dante commanded. "Introduce him to his brother. Family reunions are so important."
